


Sometimes, Relatives Get In The Way

by Greeks vs Geeks (Wonderfullydepressedandlustful)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky brings along an extra person, Bucky is a great uncle, F/F, M/M, Natasha finds this all amusing, Rebecca grew up with too many stories about Steve being a little shit, Social Media, Steve finds Buck in the most unlikely of places, being a little shit is contagious, brief mentions of past torture, but that is in all of these Bucky and Steve Reunions, especially when your role model is one, i have no clue what i am doing, other people too - Freeform, that is too old to put up with his niece's shit, there are a lot of people involved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-04-08 06:37:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4294500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderfullydepressedandlustful/pseuds/Greeks%20vs%20Geeks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Standing in front of him was a female version of Bucky. The girl couldn’t have been more than 25, but she had the same hard grey eyes and dark brown hair, with it the same length and cut as Bucky’s the last time he saw him, and the same familiar jawline. “Um, yes?”</p><p>Steve was still staring at the girl, so Natasha stepped forward, flashing a smile. “Yeah, we’re looking for a Barnes? Does someone live here with that last name?”</p><p>The girl looked at all of them suspiciously and stepped forward, closing the door behind her. “Yeah, someone does. What’s it to you?”</p><p>“Can you tell us exactly who? We are looking for a rather specific person and we wouldn’t want to bother you if you aren’t them.” Sam interjected, trying to seem polite. The girl narrowed her eyes.</p><p>“I’m the Barnes. Name’s Rebecca Barnes the second, and if you are another group of reporters that are trying to get our opinion about the rumor that my great uncle James is the Winter Soldier and killed all those people, then you can go to hell."</p><p>Steve was ready for a lot of things when it came to finding Bucky. An overprotective grandniece was not one of them.</p><p>Discontinued as of 3/18/18</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. They Jumped Out The Window

**Author's Note:**

> Or how one, maybe two, girls that vaguely resemble and may be related to our two favorite super soldiers can cause the Avengers so much trouble.

Steve wasn’t sure what he was expecting as he walked up to the apartment door. 6 months had pasted, 6 months of searching every known Hydra base and hide out all across the globe, before Sam stumbled upon a hint. Literally. He had been visiting the new Avenger Tower and went on a short run in a random Brooklyn neighborhood when he saw the familiar name listed as a tenant for one apartment building. Two days later, and both Sam and Natasha sitting outside the apartment for 24 hours straight, Steve was finally allowed to walk up to the place and knock. The other two demanded to tag along, making it rather obvious when they walked into the older building. Natasha had said that two people would go in and out of the apartment at different times, and head down to take the train. She couldn’t tell much because they both wore hoodies covering their hair and face and loose jeans, but one was significantly smaller than the other and the bigger one had the same build that the Winter Soldier, that Bucky, had last time they had seen him. Now, they were going to see if they were right. Checking the address once again, Steve knocked on the door. There was some shuffling around, followed by female voice shouting ‘Coming!’, and some cursing before the door open. Steve tensed slightly. This is not what he was expecting.

Standing in front of him was a female version of Bucky. The girl couldn’t have been more than 25, but she had the same hard grey eyes and dark brown hair, with it the same length and cut as Bucky’s the last time he saw him, and the same familiar jawline. “Um, yes?”

Steve was still staring at the girl, so Natasha stepped forward, flashing a smile. “Yeah, we’re looking for a Barnes? Does someone live here with that last name?”

The girl looked at all of them suspiciously and stepped forward, closing the door behind her. “Yeah, someone does. What’s it to you?”

“Can you tell us exactly who? We are looking for a rather specific person and we wouldn’t want to bother you if you aren’t them.” Sam interjected, trying to seem polite. The girl narrowed her eyes.

“I’m the Barnes. Name’s Rebecca Barnes the second, and if you are another group of reporters that are trying to get our opinion about the rumor that my great uncle James is the Winter Soldier and killed all those people, then you can go to hell. My grandmother must be rolling in her grave right now with as much as you jackasses are bothering me and my family. The Barnes haven’t done an interview since 1945, right after the war officially ended, and that was only as a favor for Ms. Carter and the Commandos. I am not going to be the one to break that record.” She shot at them with venom in her voice. That snapped Steve out of his daze.

“Wait, you’re Becca’s granddaughter?” he asked. The girl looked at him.

“Becca? No one called my grandmother Becca except….” She looked at Steve a little closer before realization hit. She immediately stumbled back and quickly opened the door. “Shit!” Turning on her heel, she tried to slam the door, only to be stopped by Natasha’s shoes.

“Wait, we didn’t mean to-”

“Hey, we got a Code America in here!” She immediately yelled, cutting off Steve’s explanation and running into the apartment. There was some more shuffling and the sound of a window opening. Natasha rushed in, yelling something in Russian, followed quickly by Steve and Sam. Steve was prepared for Bucky to run. That’s one of the reasons he brought Natasha and Sam, for back up. He wasn’t prepared for him to have the help of his sister’s granddaughter. That didn’t stop Natasha though from trying to stop both of them from escaping. A shape had already gone through the window, and Rebecca was sliding through it herself. There was a familiar crunch and a fence opening. Natasha immediately followed their example.

“They planned this! Garbage can down here that is closed and there is another bug out bag placed right behind it. I’m going to follow them!” She shouted as Steve got to the window. Looking down, he saw a flash of red turn the corner to the streets and he looked at Sam. Sam sighed.

“Man, I didn’t sign up for a chase around Brooklyn. You go follow her.” Steve nodded and jumped out the window as well, landing on the lid of the trashcan, and hopped down. “Yeah, I’m just gonna take the stairs. And you know, wait in the car for you. You go on though.” Steve gave him a thumbs up and proceeded to follow where Natasha had went. He followed the turns of the alleyways for some time before getting to a fork. Grabbing his phone, he immediately pressed 4.

“Where’d you turn?”

_“Don’t worry about it. The Winter Soldier outran me, but the girl lagged behind to give me a message, before sprint up a fire escape and jumping from roof to roof. I’m heading back. Wilson stay with the car?”_

Steve sighed. They were so close to finally finding Bucky. And it just slipped through their fingers. “Yeah, ok. See you then.”

_“Don’t worry Rogers. I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing the two of them real soon.”_

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

The girl, Rebecca Barnes, had stopped long enough to hand Natasha a white envelope, before disappearing up the roof. Natasha seemed annoyed that she hadn’t been able to get the girl, but handed Steve the note just the same. Steve wasted no time in tearing it open. He was disappointed to not see the familiar curvy handwriting that Bucky always had, but a letter in bold and messily scrawled print.

_**If you’re reading this letter, then it means that you, Steven Grant Rogers, my uncle’s best friend, have finally figured out where he is. I am happy that you did but at the same time disappointed because he’s been living here for 3 months now and you still haven’t found him. Seriously, step up your game. I know the government agency you worked for is in ruins and you were kinda recovering from the whole incident with the river (as I am writing this Uncle Bucky would like me to put in here that he is profusely sorry to both and will be ready to face the consequences when he is healthy and in a better mental place. I think it’s unnecessary if any of the stories Grams Becky told me are true about you, but he is insistent that I put it in here) but step up your game. I mean, you know freaking Tony Stark and are friends with the Black Widow. You should have found us ages ago.** _

_**I’m off topic. This is not the point of this letter. Anyway, I am writing this because this letter is in your hands because we ran. Code America was initiated. I would first like to let you know that it is nothing personal. It was a cautionary protocol we put in for all things, but especially you. We didn’t run because Uncle Bucky doesn’t want to see you. We ran because he isn’t ready to see you. He is still trying to recover from what happened. He is trying to figure out who he is and how to function in a regular society where he isn’t being ordered to kill at all times. I know there is professional help that he probably needs, and that we are doing this is an unconventional way, but we are doing it for Uncle Bucky’s comfort. And, if we did initiate Code America, it is because I believe, not Bucky but me, Rebecca Barnes (-Proctor) the 2nd, that he is not ready to face you. Of course, this would have all happened in a matter of seconds, so I may jump the gun. Which is why I’m writing this letter. After we get to our bug out location (which I will not disclose. Sorry, part of protocol), me and Uncle Bucky will talk things out and figure out what is best. I will come to the Avenger Tower, which will most likely be done by this point and you will probably be living in hopefully, in a week. We can talk, and if he is ready, Bucky will join us.** _

_**I’m sure this is very frustrating to read. I would be frustrated anyway, and Grams Becky always said that I acted like the Steven Rogers she knew. But I am only doing this for his sake. And we can both agree that’s the best thing, right? I hope so. Anyway, that’s all I have to say.** _

_**Yours truly,** _

_**Rebecca Barnes the 2nd** _

_**P.S. We are watching the news with the whole Ultron thing. Uncle Bucky would like to say that you are an idiot for risking your life like that and that if you get injured, he is tracking you down himself and locking you in a box to protect you from yourself. I feel like I should tell you this because, while I agree with what you were doing, you are kind of being an idiot. Just saying.** _

_**P.P.S. WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU FIGHTING ON A COUNTRY FLOATING IN THE SKY! THE WHOLE CAR CHASE WITH A ROBOT WAS DANGEROUS BUT REALLY, THIS IS JUST A WHOLE NEW LEVEL DUDE! GRAMS WAS RIGHT. YOU ARE THE REASON THAT UNCLE BUCKY GOT IN SO MUCH TROUBLE! HE WOULD NEVER DO CRAZY SHIT LIKE THIS ON HIS OWN!** _

The letter ended there, with no words from Bucky himself, but at least a time frame on when Steve might be able to see him. Natasha, of course, read the letter directly after him and smirked for the rest of the day.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. She just is doing things that sound like stuff you would do. And the way she talked to us at her apartment? I think you are going to realize how hard it is to deal with Rogers. That’s all.” She stated, which caused Sam to immediately read the letter and let out a laugh.

“God this girl is something. She might look like your friend, Steve, but she acts like you. With maybe a little more self-preservation.”

Steve just walked out of the room and made a mental countdown for a week. Just a week until he might have a chance of seeing Bucky. He could wait one more week.


	2. That's A Poor Choice of An Outfit to Wear to This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve stumbles upon some more information about Rebecca and they meet at Starbucks to talk.

Waiting a week was a lot harder than he thought. Now that he knew Bucky was out there, somewhere in Brooklyn, he wanted to find him. Wanted to track him down again and actually see him. But Steve knew that wasn’t going to happen. Rebecca, who he was going to meet in 4 more days, had implied in her letter that he was getting back to being Bucky, getting rid of the Winter Solider persona, but he still had that training. The escape plan was thoroughly planned out. If Bucky didn’t want to be found, he won’t. So he just had to wait.

The issue was that he was so anxious to see Rebecca, to have a chance to see Bucky, that he kept on seeing here everywhere. In Starbucks, at the Tower, seeing her face in every brunette girl’s face, even hearing her speaking to Pepper on the phone. In fact he was following the voice that he had only heard briefly, down the hallway and to the conference room that Pepper was using while visiting Tony.

 _“Look Ms. Potts, I’m not saying that we should scrap the entire design. I’m just saying that we should launch an additional branch of Avengers merchandise that can only be applied to domestic Stark products. The Avengers are a hot topic right now and people, especially young adults and teenagers, want anything they can get on them. It can help with their reputation too.”_ The voice said. That was definitely Rebecca and not a figment of Steve’s imagination.

“And I am saying that we don’t have any data that I can base my decision on. You get me numbers of other companies that have done something similar and then I will decide if I want that idea done for our products.” Pepper said, obviously tired of this conversation. Steve slowly opened the door.

 _“No other companies have a superhero group that involves their namesake! I don’t have any numbers I can run! I just have a shit load of-”_ the voice stated as Steve entered the room, causing Pepper to look up.

“Oh hey Steve. I’m sorry that I disturbed you. I was just discussion some marketing decisions with my head analyst.” Pepper apologized, gesturing to the video chat, revealing a familiar girl who looked like she was seeing her worst nightmare.

 _“You know Ms. Potts, I just remembered something. I’ll get you those numbers. Gottogobye!”_ Rebecca blurted out, ending the chat. Pepper looked at the screen with concern.

“That girl needs more sleep. I know she’s young and still trying to get her masters but that doesn’t help if she can’t do her job right. I might have to make her take a day off.”

“Was that Rebecca Barnes?” Steve asked simply. Pepper raised an eyebrow and stood up, grabbing her things and packing it away.

“Well, I suppose she did finally change her name to that officially. I hired her when she was Rebecca Barnes-Proctor. After what happened with SHIELD, she had come up to me and said that she was officially changing her name to just Rebecca Barnes. I didn’t question it. Smart girl, great with numbers. Why do you ask?”

“We met recently. Do you know where she is?” Maybe he could come to her, make this move faster. Sadly, Pepper shook her head.

“She has been going back to school to get her master’s in marketing in order to get a promotion, so I worked it out to where she can work mostly from home. She comes into the office branch here about once a week, but she requested us meet through a video chat for this week. I’m surprised she ended it this early. She is very bent on the Avengers line.” Fully packed, Pepper looked at her watch. “I have to go, Steve. I’m having lunch with Tony before I head back to the office.”

Steve nodded and waved goodbye. Interesting. He hoped she still showed in 4 days

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 

When it finally came to the day of the supposed meeting, Steve realized that he didn’t know how far Rebecca would get up in the Avengers Tower, and so he decided to wait at the ground floor, sitting at the Starbucks Tony had installed so that ‘everyone else could leave his coffee alone and get their own’. He had a good view of the door, which was crowded by fangirls decked in Avengers attire, while still looking casual. At least, he thought he did until Natasha sat down with him and raised an eyebrow.

“You need to relax. The girl is coming. She is probably trying not to attract a lot of attenti-”

It was at that point that the door slammed opened and a familiar voice filled the air. “For the last time, I’m not a fucking Winter Soldier cosplayer or Captain America fangirl! This is my natural hair color and eye color and I just so happen to have the same face shape as him. I got the shirt as a gag gift. Now stop trying to take my fucking picture!” Rebecca yelled behind her as she stormed through the crowd, flashing a badge at the guard. She scanned the area before settling on them and marched over. Pulling a chair from a nearby table, she fell into it natural and set down her laptop bag. “Fucking vultures.”

Natasha looked her over and smirked. “So if you’re not a fangirl, why does your outfit coordinate the shirt and Cap?” Rebecca groaned and put her head in her hands.

“It was an accident. The shirt was a gag gift from my best friend when she found out about my heritage. I have an Iron Man one too, from when I got the job at Stark Industries. The jacket and beanie just happened to be blue, and I have had this red converse for a while. It was an accident and usually Uncle Bucky stops me when I do this, but we were both on the edge this morning so it kinda went unnoticed.” She explained. At the sound of Bucky’s name, Steve sat up.

“So you said you were here to talk about Bucky.” He stated. Rebecca sat up and fixed her hat. She had a serious look in her eyes.

“Yeah, that’s right.” She agreed. “But, um before that, I wanted to thank you. For, you know, not ratting me out to Ms. Potts about hiding a fugitive in my apartment. That job means a lot to me. So yeah.” Rebecca said awkwardly. Steve nodded.

“I didn’t see a reason to tell her. It didn’t have anything to do with your job and I’ve seen how much rent can be in New York now. Especially Brooklyn.”

Rebecca nodded and smiled absently at the table. “Yeah, you said it. My dad thought I was crazy for moving back here in this economy. But, Grams just talked about New York all the time. I always wanted to come here since I was a child. Make a name for myself. Do something bigger in the Big Apple. Anyway, off topic. We’re here about Uncle Bucky.” She took a deep breath in. “He wants to see you for sure.”

It took everything for Steve not to jump up. “Let’s go then.” He insisted. Natasha stayed silent and watched them carefully. Rebecca shook her head.

“Hold your horses man. You’re gonna get to see him, yeah, but I still want to talk to you. The whole reason of me meeting you first is so that you and I can be upfront about everything and make sure that we are both doing what’s right for Uncle Bucky.” She reminded him. Steve looked at her and shifted in his seat. This girl was insistent on Bucky’s safety. Rebecca met his eyes observed him for a bit. Finally, she let out a small laugh. “You are just like Grams Becky told me. Anyway, what’s the best case scenario plan you got?”

Steve gave her a confused look. “What?”

“You know, best case scenario. You and Uncle Bucky met and everything goes right. Where do you go from there?” She asked again, meaning on the table. Natasha got up.

“Well, I have a feeling that this is going to get mushy, so I’m gonna leave you two. Behave. And don’t do anything stupid.” She stated, getting up and walking to the elevator. Rebecca watched her leave before turning her attention back to Steve.

“So?”

“I-I don’t really know.” Steve admitted. “I want to be in contact with him. I want to be near him. I want to make sure he’s safe. After that, there wasn’t really a plan.”

Rebecca nodded. “Well, then I guess we’re in the same boat because I have no clue where to go from this. I had always focused on what we were going to do right when you found him and never thought of the plan for after that. So, it’s necessary to say that we are both going in blind.” She sat there for a minute. “Is there anything you want to know?”

“Why you?”

“Excuse me?” Rebecca looked startled by his question.

“Why did Bucky go to you? How long has he been living with you? Does he have all his memories back?” Steve elaborated. There was a look of understanding in her eyes.

“Oh, that. Well, it’s kind of a long story. One that I probably need coffee for. So I’m going to go order and then I’ll tell how this whole thing started. And then afterwards, we can go see Uncle Bucky. Sound good?” She got up from her chair and stretched. Steve just nodded. She gave him a small smile and touched his shoulder lightly. “Oh, and smile a bit. Your fan club is taking pictures of us. They’re probably going to end up on the news. So yeah, I would start thinking of an explanation soon.”

Looking towards the door, he could see a bunch of the fans had their phones out and were taking pictures of their table. He sighed and smiled a bit. Sometimes it was easy to forget that he had to worry about people taking his picture.

“We could always tell them the truth.”

“Oh I’m sure the media would love to hear that you’re meeting up with your best friend’s, who is a wanted fugitive, grandniece to negotiate terms of visiting said fugitive because she wants to make sure his mental health is fine.” She quipped. He chuckled a bit.

“Reporters would be banging on your door nonstop.”

“Not to mention the CIA. But I just love company. Seriously though, I would think of an explanation that doesn’t involve Uncle Bucky. He told me that you could tell a really good story when you wanted to.” With that parting word, she walked her way to the counter. Steve looked down at the table. One more step until he could see Bucky again. Just one more step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have no clue what I am doing but I was in class and this next section wouldn't leave me alone so here you go. I still feel a little awkward writing about Steve and Natasha, mostly because I don't usually write in character types like theirs, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Hopefully. Imma go hide in my little shell now because this fandom is still a scary world. Bye!


	3. He tried to rip your head off?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rebecca tells Steve about how she first met Bucky and became roommates with him.

Rebecca soon returned with a steaming cup of coffee in her hand and a blueberry muffin. “Want some? Blueberry is usually their best.” She held out the muffin. Steve shook his head. She shrugged and sat down. “Fine with me. Anyway, where to start with this story.”

“I hear the beginning is the best.” Steve interjected. She glanced at him and bit into her muffin.

“Grams was right. You do sound like a smartass at times.” She muttered. “Ok, well then. The beginning. I guess the beginning is that I was a stubborn asshole who didn’t want any help from her family when it came to moving here and thought I could afford an apartment on my own. That failed epically, so I started looking for roommates. Before Uncle Bucky came, there were 3 or 4 others, though they didn’t last long. So, after my last roommate said she was leaving in a week, I put up the usual signs and notices. The next day, I get a call from an unknown number that looks vaguely like a Chinese number, and it’s a guy telling me that he saw my sign and wanted to talk to me about it.  So we arranged to meet in the local dog park. This was about 4 months ago.”

Steve raised his eyebrow. “Do you know where he was for those other 2 months?” He decided not to question her meeting her potential roommates at a dog park. Or the stubborn asshole part. Rebecca shrugged again, sipping her coffee.

“Hell if I know. I guess getting his mind straight. Doing whatever was necessary to make sure he could somewhat function enough to be around people again. When I met him in the dog park, he acted like a regular person, just a little more closed off. At the time, I didn’t actually know he was my great uncle or the Winter Soldier though. He was just James, my new roommate that gave me rent money on time and made sure that our fridge was always full. Great roommate.” She replied.

“So when did you figure out that he was Bucky?”

“About two months ago.”

Steve looked at her in disbelief. “You lived with him for 2 months and you didn’t realize that he was Bucky?”

Rebecca scowled at the table for a second, not meeting Steve’s eyes. “He wanted privacy. I wasn’t going to push it. Besides, he had told me during the first week that he had fought in a war and so he might have nightmares and not to wake him up. My entire family had gone into the military, following the Barnes Tradition. I knew what PTSD looks like all too well. And so I knew that I had to give him space and not push it.”

“The Barnes Tradition?”

“Yeah, Uncle Bucky got confused by that too. It’s something Grams Becky started. She actually joined WACs at the tail end of the war. Went on the Pacific front instead, but she still joined. It’s where she met Grandad. She saved his life out there, and so when the war was over, he followed her to Brooklyn. But everyone in my family, except for me and my younger sister, was in the military. We all call it a Barnes Tradition since Uncle Bucky and Grams started it. There are a lot of Barnes Traditions actually. But that’s one of the main ones.” She explained. Steve couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Why would Becca turn that into a tradition? Bucky never wanted to go to war in the first place. It was always Steve that wanted it. And Bucky had specifically told Becca not to join WACs and just stay at home.

“That’s-that shouldn’t be a tradition in your family.” He replied finally. Rebecca shrugged and looked towards the door.

“I know. That’s why I didn’t join. I was going to, but when Grams heard, she blew a gasket. She said that I had too much potential to waste it on a war that shouldn’t even be happening. My brother joined regardless, but she made me promise to only fight if it was something worth fighting for. So instead, I went to college and got my degree. Which led me here. So I guess she was right.” She sighed. “This is off topic. Anyway, I ended up finding out that he was the Winter Soldier by coming home earlier than expected and saw the silver arm before he could hide it. My entire family had kept tabs on the whole situation, including all the files that were leaked and the rumors swirling around. I knew immediately that my dad was wrong for dismissing the one about Uncle Bucky being the Winter Soldier at that moment.”

“What happened?”

Rebecca snorted at the memory. “I made a smartass comment about how awkward it must have been to hear his grandniece talk about her sex life. He looked scared as fuck about my reaction, so we didn’t actually talk about it until a week later, once he was sure I wasn’t going to turn him in or make him leave. And then we just kinda helped each other more. Now that I knew some of what he went through, you know, through the file dump, I tried to help him with certain things. He still gets on edge with new people, and if he think there is a threat, he will attack first. The nightmares aren’t as often, but still there. He can’t eat certain foods without it being a trigger for him. Found that out when I tried to give him tequila. Almost ripped my head off. That was an interesting night. There are a few other things, but I’m sure we will get to that later.” She paused slightly. “He’s better though.”

“He tried to rip your head off?” Steve asked. Rebecca nodded.

“I was lucky enough that I hit his pressure point hard enough for him to drop me. The pain woke him up slightly and I was able to talk him back down. It was a trial and error sort of deal. Still is. We were careful after that. He made me get in shape too. I had always done parkour when I was younger, but he really pushed me. It was terrible. I’m pretty sure it was worse than boot camp.”

So Bucky had put her through training so they would be able to run if necessary. But… “What’s parkour?” Rebecca smiled.

“Technically, it’s a French military training that they developed in the 1980s to help soldiers learn how to use their surroundings and get to places on foot faster. Now, it’s a urban activity that teens and young adults do to show off and get fit. Basically, you are running, climbing, and jumping over things in order to get to a certain location faster. It’s pretty fun. You would probably enjoy it.” She explained. “After all of this, I can show you. I have a group of friends that do it with me on the weekends.”

Realization dawned on Steve. “And so that’s why you went on the roofs. Because you knew how to parkour.” She laughed in response.

“Yeah, basically. So, now that you know the short version on how Uncle Bucky and I met, do you have any other questions?” Rebecca asked just as her phone started ringing. “Oh sorry, one second. Hello?”

Steve watched as Rebecca’s confusion turned into resignation. “What do you mean by you accidently adopted a dog? You can’t accidently adopt a dog. It’s a long process. How did you even have time for this?”

There was a minute or two of muttering on the other line before Rebecca groaned. “You know, don’t move. Don’t adopt another animal. We will be there in 10. If I get there and you have two or more dogs attached to you, we are never going to the dog park again. I am completely serious! Fine fine, see you soon. NO MORE ANIMALS GOT IT? Ok, bye Uncle Bucky.” Rebecca sighed and looked at Steve, who was trying very hard not to smile at her annoyance. Grabbing her bag, she stood up and finished her muffin.

“So what’s happening?” Steve asked, amused. Rebecca glared at him.

“Like I said, Grams was right. You are a smartass. Come on, we have to go stop Uncle Bucky from adopting anymore animals.” She replied. Steve quickly stood up and pushed in his chair. They both looked towards the crowd still at the doors, who were still snapping pictures.

“Ladies first?” Steve offered as they got closer to the door. Rebecca smirked.

“Oh no. Age before beauty, so it’s definitely you.” She retorted, opening the door for him. Steve smiled slightly. Straightening up, he walked through the door and was hit by the usual flashes of cameras and array of voices shouting at him. He worked his way through the crowd, aware of the fact that Rebecca was holding on to the back of his jacket so that she wouldn’t get lost in the crowd. Yep, this was definitely going to be on the news. Pepper was going to throw a fit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so here is the next installment. the next chapter is where we will finally see Bucky, I swear. And I had to include parkour in here because I can just imagine both Steve and Rebecca jumping from roofs and vaulting over staircases and Bucky yelling at the both of them, saying how they are going to hurt themselves and that this is too dangerous, what the fuck Rebecca why did you introduce this to Steve he is already danger prone he didn't need your help in that subject.


	4. Train Rides Should Never Be A Place To Talk About Deep Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The way to meet Bucky brings up an interesting question

Once they had finally made it through the crowd in front of the Avengers tower, Rebecca took the lead. She kept glancing around and muttering curse words under her breath.

“God, do these people always follow you around?” She asked him under her breath. Steve nodded. “That’s annoying. He’s at Madison Square Park in their dog park, so we can either walk down Broadway or we can take the N train. Do you have issues with public transportation?”

Steve snorted at that. “The N train is fine. I have my card. Any reason why you picked a dog park?”

Rebecca shrugged and grabbed onto his sleeve in order to keep track of each other as they walked to the station at 57th street. “He likes dog parks. There are enough people that he doesn’t seem suspicious with just sitting there and it’s a small enough crowd that he doesn’t feel stressed. And small animals help. I would have gotten a cat or something for him if we were allowed to have pets in our building. Which is why I am confused that he got a dog. He can’t keep it.”

“Yeah, Bucky did always like animals. He would always find the stray cats in our neighborhood and nurse them back to health. He probably would have kept one or two if I wasn’t allergic to them.” Steve remembered. Rebecca smiled slightly.

“Do you remember a lot from back then? Before the war I mean.”

“The serum helped with that. Great memory.” Steve paused. “How much does Bucky remember?”

“Some. Most, I guess. Not everything I’m sure. But a lot. Whenever he would remember something else, he would tell me and I would either write it down or reference one of Gram’s stories. I’m sure you can help a lot more with his memory than I can though. Since, you know, I wasn’t there.” Rebecca rambled as they found their way down to the station. Swiping their cards, Rebecca found the platform. The train would be there in a few minutes, so they found a space far enough from the others waiting so that they wouldn’t be overheard.

“But he’s remembering more? He knows who he is? Who I am?” Rebecca scoffed at his question.

“Believe me, he remembers you quite well. Don’t worry about that.”

There was silence between them until the train arrived. Steve got on first and immediately got in the middle of the train. Rebecca followed and took a glance around the train, before stepping closer to Steve.

“You’re not going to take him away, right?” She asked quietly.

“What?”

She locked eyes with him. “We both know that he is a wanted fugitive. He’s on the FBI’s most wanted and I know the CIA has been wanted to catch the Winter Soldier as soon as they saw his file. Are you going to take him away and turn him in to the government?” Rebecca looked scared for his answer.

“I would never turn Bucky in, Rebecca. Why would you think that?” He stated clearly. Rebecca shrugged and looked away as the train pulled out of the station.

“I hear a war, 70 years in the ice, two end of the world missions, and a Nazi organization take over can change a person. I just wanted to make sure that Grams was right.”

“Right about what?”

“That you would always do what was right and just, unless it had something to do with Uncle Bucky. That you would go to hell and back, do whatever was necessary, kill someone, to make sure that Uncle Bucky was safe.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

They didn’t talk for the rest of the ride, or when they got off the train. Instead, Rebecca just gestured towards the dog park, and proceeded to cross the street. Once they had made it to the entrance of the dog park, Rebecca took off running towards a bench. “C’mon!”

Steve quickly caught up with her and slowed down to keep pace, searching for Bucky. “Where are we going?”

“To the 7th table under a tree. He likes that one. I hope he didn’t adopt another animal.” She huffed out, pointing ahead of them. Like she said, under a tree, was a man in sweat pants and a hoodie, holding a small creature. His hair was tied back in a ponytail, but Steve could still tell it was Bucky. It felt like the air was being taken out of his lungs now that he could finally see him. He slowed down a bit, causing Rebecca to get to the table before him and hold out her hand to Bucky. Bucky took her hand slowly and stood up, handing her the small creature. Steve finally stopped when he was a few feet away from the two of them. It was uncanny how much Rebecca looked like Bucky.

“Bucky….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was really short and I am so sorry. I promise that the next chapter will be longer. I just ran out of steam and this seemed like the best place to end it.


	5. Choices and a Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky makes a decision and an ice cream is eaten

Bucky turned towards Steve, leaving Rebecca was a wiggling buddle of blonde fur. He looked better, healthier, but Steve could still see the fear and confusion in his eyes. They stared at each other for a while before Bucky took a couple steps forward and held out his flesh hand, keeping the other one in his pocket. “You’re Steven Grant Rogers. I’ve known you since we were 5. You were there when I fell off the train. You’re my friend.” He stated hoarsely. Steve met him the rest of the way and grabbed his hand, watching Bucky carefully. Bucky kept a level face throughout it all, squeezing Steve’s hand slightly before letting go.

“Yeah Buck, that’s right.” Steve whispered back, smiling slightly. Bucky looked like he wanted to say more, but a cough interrupted them.

“Look, I know this is a big reunion and I should let you two be alone, but the dog is squirming in my arms and I want to know why I have one in my arms in the first place.” Rebecca cut in, still struggling with the puppy. Bucky walked backed over to her and took the dog back, calming it instantly.

“I got it because it reminded me of Steve. It is so small and frail, but is a fighter.” Bucky answered simply. Rebecca snorted and looked at Bucky in amusement.

“You adopted a Labrador retriever puppy because it reminded you of Steve? You do know that it is going to grow up and be huge and-oh my Moses you are hilarious.” Rebecca crackled. “Oh-oh jeez, because you know, he-he grew up to be huge and-I-I need a minute.” She wandered towards an ice cream vendor, still laughing to herself. They watched her go, before Steve turned back to Bucky.

“How are you? Are you ok?” he asked immediately. Bucky looked down at the puppy and lightly stroked it.

“I am…fine. I’m better. Things are starting to make sense and I have most of my memory back. I think. Rebecca has helped a lot. More than I thought she would. She’s a good kid.” Bucky paused for a second. “Watch out for her okay? She-she likes to rush into a lot of things and picks too big of fights. Like someone else I know.”

Steve gave him a confused look. “Bucky, why are you asking me to watch out for Rebecca? I’m not gonna take you away or report you to the authorities. You can stay with her if that’s what you want.”

Bucky looked at the brown haired girl in the distance, animatedly talking to the vendor. “No, I can’t. I have to face the consequences of my actions.”

“They weren’t you actions, Bucky. You were forced to do those things. You were brainwashed. You can’t be held accountable for what happened.”

“But someone does need to be held accountable.” He stated clearly, turning back. Their eyes locked and Steve could see the determination in his eyes. “I won’t be able to try and live a normal life if I am still a fugitive. Rebecca is always going to be in constant danger if I don’t.”

Steve felt like a part of the ground was giving out underneath him. Bucky wanted to turn himself in. He wanted to throw himself at the mercy of a government that is looking for a lamb to slaughter to appease the people. “Bucky, we can do this another way. Let me talk to Tony and maybe we can work it out with the government to-”

“I already called the police and placed an anonymous tip that the Winter Soldier is going to be in the park 10 minutes from now.” Bucky admitted, his gaze dropping to the ground.

“What?” Bucky flinched slightly at the broken tone in Rebecca’s voice as she walked back to them, making it clear that she had heard what he said. She looked between the two men with a painful expression. “Please tell me that this is a really sick joke and that I didn’t actually hear that correctly.”

“Rebecca-”

“Do Not Rebecca me, James Buchanan Barnes. Did you seriously turn yourself in?” She asked again, her tone going harsh. Of course, she looked less threatening with a giant ice cream cone in her hand, but that didn’t stop Bucky from looking guilty.

“It was the right thing to do. It was necessary.”

“Necessary my ass!” She shot back. Her voice faltered as she saw the expression on his face. Breathing out of her nose, she closed her eyes. “By law, it would be the right thing to do, but it isn’t the right thing to do right now. The government is looking for a scrap goat for the entire Hydra incident and who better than the Winter Soldier? It isn’t going to be a fair trial and they are going to imprison you or kill you or something.”

Bucky nodded at her words. “I know. But this is my choice and you said that I could choose what I want to do. So I choose this.”

Rebecca stiffened at his words, her eyes snapping open and flickering from Bucky, to their surroundings, to Steve, and then repeating. Steve took a step towards her for support, recognizing the expression as one of panic. She shot him a small smile and turned back towards her uncle, relaxing slightly.

“You’re right. It is your choice. And if you are sure about it, then I will respect it.” She stated in a monotone voice. She paused and looked around. “So I guess this is goodbye.”

Bucky nodded and looked down at the small dog in his arms. “Here is the dog. Take care of yourself.” He stated. Rebecca calmly grabbed the dog, holding it gently in her arms. The dog began to eat her ice cream, which had seemed to be forgotten at this point. Rebecca stared at the dog as it consumed her ice cream with a mixture of defeat and surprise. She sighed.

“I always do. And just so you know, I am hugging you in my mind. Try not to get hurt or ruffle feathers while you are in custody. I’m going to try and get you a good lawyer that can help.” She replied.

It was at this point that Steve realized that he was losing Bucky all over again, just after he got him back. As soon as the police got here, Bucky would be taken away and he doubted that they would allow him to visit Bucky while in prison. Clenching his fists, he walked over to the man in question and slowly placed a hand on his shoulder. Bucky tensed slightly, but relaxed almost immediately after.

“We’re going to help you get through this, if this is your decision. I’m not going to lose you again, Buck. We are going to do anything we can to make sure that you get out of this mess.” He promised.

“Til the end of the line?”

“Til the end of the line.” Bucky gave him a small smile as the sounds of sirens came into hearing range. Steve heard Rebecca let out a string of curses at that. Turning towards the brunette girl, Steve motioned towards the exit. “We should get out of here. They would question us if we stick around and I don’t want you to get arrested as well.”

Rebecca scoffed. “Yeah, because that would be the end of the world.”

They all nodded at each other for the last time and then the two departed with a wiggling dog in arms and a mission in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a terrible person for not updating seeing that i had a majority of this chapter done like 2 months ago and just forgot about it. I honestly think that this chapter is probably going to be my worst one because i wasnt sure about any of the interactions that were happening.
> 
> On a side note, Rebecca is going to name the dog America because apparently naming it Steve is 'too confusing' for everyone else in the tower

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the story that i was talking about on my tumblr post with the pictures and yeah. I'm new to this fandom and have been wanting to write this for a while, but I was slightly terrified. Hopefully this is in character. If it's not, tell me so I can fix it. Um, i don't know what I'm doing so imma just leave this here and run.


End file.
